Our View: Good move to halt discrimination; political mischief blowin' in the wind

Friday

Mar 29, 2019 at 6:39 PMMar 29, 2019 at 6:39 PM

Merit: For a package of legislation filed this week that would, among other things, repeal the remnants of House Bill 2 — the "bathroom bill" — that are still allowing discrimination against some North Carolina residents. The bill was only partially repealed after lawmakers responded to the billions of dollars in economic losses that the measure caused. Major athletic events — including the NBA All-Star game and NCAA playoffs — were moved to other states and major corporate relocations here were cancelled. The continuing existence of parts of HB2 may have been among the reasons why Amazon and Apple chose other cities for major expansions.

And then there's a more fundamental problem: This state still refuses to protect many thousands of its residents from discrimination. Under North Carolina law, it's OK to discriminate against members of the LGBT community. Their rights and human dignity aren't protected. And cities or counties that want to pass their own anti-discrimination ordinances are forbidden to do so until late 2020 by the remaining parts of HB2.

Legislation filed this week would immediately repeal the rest of HB2 and also would prohibit "conversion therapy" for minors. It would discipline counselors, psychiatrists and psychologists who engage in work to alter the sexual orientation of anyone under 18. At a news conference, Sen. Terry Van Duyn, a Buncombe County Democrat, said, "We believe that whether you are buying a home, choosing a school or accepting a job, you should never feel disrespected because of who you are or who you love. It is time that we turn the page on discrimination in North Carolina and it is time to make it clear that we welcome everyone."

That doesn't require anyone to change their own sexual orientation, or their personal or religious beliefs. It simply tells them they can't impose those beliefs on others. We all should be able to agree on that.

Demerit: For yet another legislative attempt to ban wind energy installations from much of this state's coastline — the one place where there's enough wind to make electric generation viable. Republican Sen. Harry Brown, a longtime foe of wind power, wants to prohibit building, expanding or operating wind turbines within about 100 miles of the coast. His measure applies to an area from the Virginia border to south of Camp Lejeune. That's precisely the area that's best suited for wind energy.

Once again, Brown is claiming that he wants to keep the tall windmills out of present or future flight paths used by military aircraft flying from multiple military bases in this state and Virginia. Brown waged a long-running battle against the sprawling wind farm in coastal Perquimans and Pasquotank counties, which has 104 wind turbines, each standing more than 30 stories tall. Brown argued that the wind farm would interfere with military flight operations and radar. In fact, the Navy had thoroughly tested and assessed the effect of the wind farm on its flights and equipment and concluded that it posed no problem. The law already required that wind farm developers work with the military to ensure no conflicts, and the military can veto wind farm plans.

Brown's real agenda is pretty clear: He just wants to stop wind farm development. "I think you do need to make choices," he said this week. Actually, wind farm development has proven quite compatible with military needs in countries around the world. All that's needed is a little cooperation between developers and the military, and that's already happening.

Merit: For the Fayetteville Woodpeckers' hiring spree, which has brought more than 200 new jobs to downtown Fayetteville. During a meeting of Fayetteville's Baseball Committee Thursday, Woodpecker President Mark Zarthar said, "We've hired about 23 of what will be 25 full-time staff members. We've made offers — we're just going through the paperwork now — on what will be 200 to 250 part-time staffers. So yes, pretty much all of the people are hired." The jobs include everything from management positions to bat boys, ground crews and food service workers. It's another serious infusion of money into the Fayetteville economy and doesn't begin to add in the additional spending that the Houston Astros' minor league team will draw to downtown businesses, especially the restaurants.

The team's first home game is on April 18, less than three weeks away now. Construction crews are rushing to complete work on the stadium to get it ready on time. The team starts its season with a few away games, beginning with a game against the Potomac Nationals in Woodbridge, Virginia, next Thursday.

The team will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Bill Hurley Plaza outside the ballpark during the Dogwood Festival. The entrance to the stadium from Hay Street is named after former Mayor Bill Hurley, who died last year. It was Hurley who brought the wrecking balls to Hay Street in the 1980s, tearing down the infamous bars and strip joints and replacing them with a new City Hall and police station. That was the beginning of the renaissance that led to today's thriving downtown — and now a first-class little ballpark. We wish Hurley could be here to toss out the first pitch.

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